After a working fire, the debrief usually centers on what the crews did: where the lines went, how fast the search moved, how the ventilation played out. Far less often does anyone ask what command saw, what it decided and why. A strategy change that came a little late, a radio channel clogged with noise or a span of control that quietly got out of hand can shape an entire incident.
Download this two-page after-action review (AAR) checklist built specifically for incident commanders. Use it on your own after a call or as a script for a command-focused debrief with your crew, including how to:
- Trace where your picture of the incident came from, and what was missing, late or wrong;
- Revisit key decisions based on what you knew at the time, not what you know now;
- Evaluate how well you organized resources and communicated on the radio; and
- Turn what you learn into next steps for training, SOPs/SOGs, preplans and drills.
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